Barrel hoop



April 1, 1947. HOLDER 2,418,260

BARREL HOOP Filed Jan. 12, 1944 W f fi H 25 INVENTOR.

EDWARD P. HOLDER 25 H6 8 kW, 6. Em

A TTOIiNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BARREL HOOP Edward P. Holder, Montclair, N. J., assignor to Wickwire Spencer Steel Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application January 12, 1944, Serial No. 517,949

4 Claims.

The invention relates to metal barrel hoops. for use on wooden barrels, casks, buckets, kegs or the like.

The invention relates more specifically to hoops having novel means for anchoring them against endwise displacement after application to the object.

Still more specifically, the invention contemplates anchoring a wire hoop by means of inclined portions of the hoop extending out from its plane, each having a cutting edge adapted to be forced into the staves of the barrel or the like after the hoop has been driven in place so as to secure a firm anchorage for the hoop against endwise displacement over a wide face of the stave, dispensing with the necessity of other anchoring means such as brads.

The invention also contemplates, as a novel article, a hoop made of a plurality of preformed sections. Such a construction lends itself particularly well to the fabrication of hoops adapted to be anchored in the manner just mentioned.

Hitherto wire hoops have generally been retained against slipping on tapered staves by nails or brads. This entails considerable labor in assembling and is otherwise objectionable. Attempts have been made to provide the hoop with cutting edges or with extensions that dig into the staves in. applying the hoop and resist removal much as a paWl engages a ratchet. The depth of penetration of such devices is limited if the. stave is not to be weakened and, in mounting a hoop the hoop moves only a slight distance from the position where these devices first contact the stave to its final position. In assembling these cutting edges destroy the surface of the stave. and score a channel in the stave through which the fastening devices are readily. pushed out again when strains in the barrel, such as handling it or rolling it, create a tendency for the hoop to work ofi.

The invention provides a wire hoop made up of a plurality of sections welded together. This construction permits, in the preferred form, the

.use of the end of. each section as an anchorage.

By preforming these sections a simple hoop assembly results having the anchorages all extending in a predetermined manner from the hoop.

The preforming operation can readily provide for shaping each section to the proper curvature, flattening the Wire. at the points where the sections are to be welded, turning the anchorage up at the proper angle, and providing a cutting edge on each anchorage end by shearing or swaging. All of these operations could be performed on an automatic machine converting. the wire taken 2 from a spool into completed sections, a plurality of which need but be assembled and welded together to form the completed hoop.

The invention contemplates placing such a completed hoop carrying anchorages on the tapered object, drawing or driving the hoop into place so that it bears firmly against the staves Without establishing contact between the anchorage means and the staves. When the hoop is in place, the anchorages are bent inwardly about the hoop so that each lies diagonally across the staves. This may be done by strikin the anchorage end a blow with a hammer or all the anchorages. may be bent over simultaneously by a series of pushers moving inward in a direction radial to the barrel.

Regardless of how the anchorages: are pushed inward, each will take a bearing diagonally across a substantial width of the stave and the cutting edge will cut. into the as yet undisturbed surface of the stave.- Enclwise movement of the hoop is thus resisted by a large number of fibers of the wood.

It is one of the features of the invention that these anchorages are both, rigidly attached to the hoop and also at anangle thereto rather than loosely pivoted or extending at right angles to the hoop. Only because these anchorages are at an angle to the hoop do they cut across the grain of the stave securing an extensive anchorage and if the anchorages were not rigidly attached to the wire hoop, any tendency of the hoop to move would tend to cause concentrated pressure only in those fibres of the stave engaged by the anchor nearest the hoop with a resultant progressive working loose oi the. anchorage.

Another feature of the invention is that the anchorages are. attached toa hoop of circular cross section rather than a flat band. When the anchorages. are all forced inward, the hoop wire can rotate about its. own circumferential axis, thus tilting the entire anchorage inward and reducing any tendency of the anchorage to sprin back after the inward force exerted by the tool forcing them into the staves is removed.

The hoops. may have their anchoring elements extend up in planes tangential and normal. to, the hoop plane or, to facilitate stacking of the hoops. they may all. be tilted a little either inward or outward. However, if tilted inward, the tilt should beless than the slopev of the stavesso that the staves will not be scored by the cutting edge connected thereto to prevent, in a. particularly effective manner, the slipping of the hoop up on the staves of the barrel, cask, bucket, keg, or similar vessel to which the barrel hoop has been applied.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a barrel hoop having anchoring elements rigidly connected to its body each of which, when forced against a stave of the barrel or the like, will bear diagonally across several fibers of that stave.

Another object of the invention is to provide a barrel hoop made of a number of arcuate sections welded to each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a barrel hoop made of a number of arcuate sections welded together, each section having at least one anchoring element, formed integrally therewith, extending from the body of the hoop towards an end of the barrel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hoop formed of a number of arcuate sections welded together wherein each of these sections has at least one end projecting beyond the weld towards one end of the barrel.

- A further object of the invention is to provide a hoop having rigidly connected to its body anchoring elements projecting from the plane of thehoop body towards an end of the barrel, each anchoring element having longitudinal edge on the inside which, when forced against a stave of the barrel will cut diagonally across several fibers of that stave.

Another object of the invention is to form a wire hoop having anchoring elements rigidly connected with the body of the hoop, wherein the I wire has flattened portions permitting the use of spot welding for connecting the parts building up the hoop.

A further object of the invention is to form a wire hoop from arcuate sections having flattened portions which in assembly overlap each other and are then welded together.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hoop wherein anchoring elements which .are rigidly connected to the body of the hoop and project from the plane of said body at an angle, are adapted to be directed towards the smaller end of the barrel in mounting the hoop on the barrel.

Still another object of the invention is to pro- Vide a wire hoop With extensions at an angle thereto that may be turned, together with the hoop, about the circu'mierential axis of the hoop.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction and combination of parts to be hereinafter fully described in connection .With the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows in a side elevation the upper end of a barrel equipped with a hoop according to one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a modified form of the hoop.

' and 7-1, respectively in Figure 4.

Figures 8 and 9 are side elevations of two further modified forms of hoops embodying the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1, I0 denotes one end of a barrel or similar vessel, consisting, as usual, of wooden stave l I ,which are wider at the middle body of the hoop towards one end of the barrel,

preferably towards the smaller end as shown, and these are adapted to serve as anchoring elements for the hoop. To that end the inner side of each element I4, that is the side facing the staves, may be shaped so that it can be driven into the surface of the staves, e. g., by having a longitudinal cutting edge formed thereon such as is shown at 24 in Figure 5. The anchoring elements I4 projeot from the plane of the body of the hoop I3 at an acute angle. Therefore these elements do not extend along the grain of the barrel staves but are inclined thereto. In the form shown in Figure 1, element I 4 of one of the sections I3 includes with the axis of the stave an angle a of about 45. In this manner each element I4, when forced against the wooden staves II of the barrel, bears across a large number of the fibers of the staves, thereby assuring a secure anchorage for the hoop.

The two anchorage elements I4 of each section 63 are shown inclined in opposite directions by being bent substantially symmetrically towards each other. They could however, both be bent in the same direction or, considering all the projecting elements I4 of the hoop, some of the elethey may be inclined in such a manner that they lie on a cone of which the body of the hoop is the base or a section and whose base angle is indicated at p in Figure 1. If the elements I4 are not tilted inwardly under an angle as shown but extend out of the plane of the hoop in a plane which is tangential to the hoop the cone mentioned becomes a cylinder. However, the elements I4 would still be situated in diametral planes inclined to that of the body of the hoop so as to lie diagonally across the staves when they are forced into engagement with these staves.

To fasten the hoop to the barrel, the hoop is first driven home in the usual manner so that its body bears firmly against the staves II of the barrel whereas the anchoring elements I4 are still out of contact or, if the angle 5 is chosen equal to the slope of the staves at this part of the barrel, just in touching contact with the staves. The anchoring elements I4 are now forced inwardly, by means of a hammer blow struck each element I4 or by means of a device adapted to push all the elements l4 inwardly simultaneously, so that the elements It penetrate the material of its cutting edge 24 across a relatively large number of fibers of the wood of the staves. If the body is made of round wire it will respond to the stress exerted by the force used to drive the anchoring'elements I4 into the stave II by revolving about its circumferential axis, eliminating thereby any or plane near their ends whereas they are curved considerably towards the bilge of the barrel.-

Therefore, if the projecting parts l4 extend towards the end of the barrel rather than toward .the bilge, the elements Hi come to bear against such portion of the staves which are practically plane or only slightly curved. If the elements l4 have a longitudinal cutting edge at their inner side which faces the staves, this cutting edge will penetrate the material of the staves for a substantially uniform depth along the whole length of the cutting edge. 7

Figure 2 shows a hoop made up of sections welded together at IT, each section having an arcuate portion l6 extending 'from one weld to, the next weld and one end portion [8 projecting beyOnd the weld. The end portions l8 are again bent upwardly with respect to the body of the hoop and each portion I8 extends at an acute angle with the plane ofsaid body and therefore with the grain of the staves when in place on a cask.

In Figures 3 to 7 a wire hoop is illustrated which is similar to the hoop of Figure 2 and composed of arcuate sections l9 welded together at 20, each section having one bent-up end 2| which projects beyond the weld 20 out of the plane of the ring-shaped body at an angle c. The bent-up ends 2| are shaped in such a manner that a cutting edge 24 is formed which extends along the whole length of the bent-up portion 2| at the inner side thereof. While each wire section I9 is of the round cross section shown in Figure 7, between the welds 29, it is provided with two flattened portions 22 and 23. Both flattened portions 22, 23 extend with one face 22 or 23, respectively, substantially in the central plane of the hoop body as may best be seen from Figures 3 and 6. Portion 22 is an end portion of a wire section l9 whereas portion 23 is situated between the bentup anchoring element 2| and the round main part of that section |9. When the loop is assembled, the flattened portions 22 and 23 of successive sections |9 rest upon each other and are welded together by spot welding, this type of welding being greatly facilitated by the provision of the flat faces 22' and 23. The completed hoop is placed on the barrel and secured thereto by driving the inclined anchoring elements 2| into the wood of the staves so that they cut diagonally across the fibers of the staves as has been described before.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have shown two types of barrel hoops, the body 25 of which is made of a single piece of wire forming a closed ring. Equally spaced around the circumference of the ring 25 are anchoring elements indicated at 26 in Figure 8 and at 2'! in Figure 9, these anchoring elements being welded to the ring 25. The anchor-- ing elements again extend out from the ring 25 in diametral planes which are inclined to the plane of the ring. According to Figure 8 all the anchoring elements 26 are bent in the same direction whereas according to Figure 9 V-shaped members 27 are used having a base portion 28 between the anchoring elements proper 29 and 30 of each V- shaped member. Thus, half of the anchoring elements are inclined in one direction and half of them in the opposite direction assuring thereby a particularly efiective anchorage. The base portions 28 of the V members 2'! are preferably flattened and also those portions of the wire ring 25 to which these base portions 28 are to be welded may be flattened to facilitate spot welding. The anchoring elements 25 of Figure 8 as well as the elements 29 and 38 of Figure 9 are provided on the side facing the staves of the barrel with sharp parts adapted to penetrate the wood of the staves when pressed thereagainst. For example, they may again have a cutting edge along their whole length, 7 1

While I have shown and described several embodiments of my invention, I desire it to be understood that I hav given these embodiments as illustrative examples of the invention only and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A barrel hoop comprising at least two areshaped sections, each section welded to the preceding section so as to form a ring and to leave at least one free end for each section of the resulting ring, said free ends bent at such an angle to the plane of the hoop that when the hoop is placed on a barrel said free ends lie obliquely across the staves.

2. A barrel hoop comprising a body consisting of at least two arcuate sections welded together to form a ring, each section having at least one end projecting beyond the weld, each of said projecting ends bent out of the plane of said body and having a longitudinal cutting edge on the inner side.

3. A wire barrel hoop comprising a body consisting of at least two wire sections welded together to form a ring, the wire of each section being flattened at one end and being shaped at its other end so as to form an anchoring element extending out of the plane of the hoop, a portion of the wire following said anchoring element also being flattened, the flattened portion behindthe anchoring element of one wire section being welded to the flattened end of the following section.

4. A barrel hoop comprising a body consisting of at least two wire sections welded together to form a ring, the wire of each section being fiattened at one end and being shaped at its other end so as to form an anchoring element extending out of the plane of the hoop and having a longitudinal cutting edge on the inner side, a portion of the wire following said anchoring element being also flattened, the flattened portion behind the anchoring element of one wire section being welded to the flattened end of the following section.

EDWARD P. HOLDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 420,680 Frost Feb. 4, 1890 r 808,496 White Dec, 26, 1905 574,452 Ross et al Jan, 5, 1897 128,310 Hill June 25, 1872 382,264 Leach May 1, 1888 321,938 Barnes July 14, 1885 305,692 Jones Sept. 23, 1884 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 115,777 Britain May 23, 1918 

